Observation-railway for parks, &amp;c.



J. B. STRAUSS. OBSERVATION RAILWAY FOR PARKS, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1906. Patehted 18,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS '20.. w/xsmucron, m'c.

J. B. STRAUSS.

OBSERVATION RAILWAY FOR PARKS, &c. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1906;

921 ,750. Patented May 18, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fig. 3

wwassas am TOR UNITED sTATEs PATENT orricn JOSEPH B. STRAUSS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

OBSERVATION-RAILWAY FOR PARKS, & c.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH B. STRAUss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Observation-Railways for Parks, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to observation railways for parks, etc., and has for its object to provide a new and improved device of this description.

LIy invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation of a construction showing one form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a structure comprising a series of central posts A. Mounted upon these posts are a se ries of longitudinal girders or supporting devices which carry the apparatus. As shown, for example, in Fig. 3, there is a pair of supporting devices or girders B, B on one side, and another pair C, C on the other side, said girders or supporting devices being symmetrically disposed with relation to the posts. I may also provide the intermediate girders or supporting devices D. The girders B, B and C, C are provided with the tracks E for the trucks F of the suspension railway cars G. The rails of the tracks as herein shown are mounted upon the lower or bottom flange of the longitudinal girders. There is an open way through the longitudinal girders through which the connection to the suspended cars passes. These cars preferably have a truck at each end, as shown, for example, in Fig. 1. Each car may be operated, for example, by an electric motor H mounted upon the truck F and connected with the axle or wheels thereof. It is of course evident that each truck may have a motor or there may be a motorcar with several cars without motors attached'to it. The posts A are provided with guiding devices A which are engaged by engaging devices A on the cars.

Above the girders or supporting devices B, B C, C are tracks I and J upon which are Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 28, 1906.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Serial No. 308,399.

mounted moving platforms I J These moving platforms as herein shown are made up of a series of sections coupled together so as to make a substantially continuous platform, the sections being mounted upon wheels I J engaging the tracks I and J (see Fig. 3). The several sections of the platforms are preferably provided with seats I J upon which the passengers may sit to view the landscape, and there are also provided suitable canopies I J extending above these seats. Between the moving platforms is a stationary platform K, reached by stairways K placed at suitable intervals, and from which the passengers may step to the moving platforms. Passengers pass to and from the suspension railway cars by means of platforms L carried by the posts A. The moving platforms would, of course, run at a comparatively slow rate of speed, and run continuously, while the suspension railway cars would run ata high rate of speed and stop at the various platforms for passengers.

It will be seen that by this construction there is provided an observation railway with conveying devices for carrying passengers, both above and below the supporting devices upon which they are carried, and that the passengers are carried at different rates of speed above and below, and that they may transfer from one to the other at will. It will also be seen that this construc tion is such that there is no obstruction of the view from either means of transportation.

I have described in detail a particular construction embodying my invention, but it is of course evident that the parts may be varied in form, construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not limit myself to the particular construction shown.

Iclaim:

1. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising a suitable longitudinal supporting device with means for conveying passengers therealong, both above and below the supporting device, said longitudinal supporting device acting as a common support for both of said means for conveying passengers therealong.

2. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising two sets of conveyances for the passengers, a longitudinal supporting device and common to both, said conveying devices therefor, one set of conveying devices being l adapted to travel at different speeds, and

above and the other below said longitudinal supporting device, both supported thereon, and means for transferring the passengers from one set to the other.

3. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising a series of central posts, a series of longitudinal supporting devices carried thereby, two sets of tracks carried by said longitudinal supporting devices, one above and one below, each adapted to support moving transportation devices.-

4. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising a series of central posts located at intervals along the way, one or more sets of longitudinal girders mounted upon said posts, so as to overhang at the sides thereof, a track carried by each set of girders, the rails of'each track having open spaces between them, trucks mounted upon said rails having downwardly projecting parts extending through said open space, and a car below the track connected with said trucks.

5. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising a series of posts located at inter vals along the way, one or more sets of longitudinal girders associated with said posts, a track carried by each set of girders, the rails of each track having open spaces between them, trucks mounted upon said rails having dovmwardly projecting parts extending through said open space, and a car below the track connected with said trucks.

6. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising a series of posts located at intervals along the way, one or more sets of longi tudinal girders mounted upon said posts, a track carried by the girders, the rails of said track having 0 en spaces between them, trucks mountec upon said track having downwardly projecting parts extending through said open space, a car below the track connected with said trucks, one or more tracks located above the girders, and a moving platform mounted on said tracks.

7. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising a series of posts, horizontal supporting devices mounted thereon, moving platforms mounted on said supporting devices, and a stationary platform located between them.

8. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising a series of posts, horizontal supporting devices mounted thereon, moving platforms mounted on said supporting devices, a stationary platform located between them, and means for reaching said stationary platform from the ground.

9. An observation railway for parks, etc. comprising two sets of conveying devices one located above the other, supporting girders between said two sets of conveying devices means by which passengers may be transferred from one to the other.

10. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising an elevated supporting device, a moving platform mounted thereon, a fixed platform mounted on the same supporting device and parallel with the said moving platfo m the twoplatforms side by side so that passengers may step directly back and forth from one to the other.

11. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising longitudinal su porting girders in pairs, supports between t 1e pairs of girders and projecting below them, rails mounted directly upon said girders and extending parallel thereto.

12. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising longitudinal girders in pairs, a support therefor between said pairs, rails mounted upon the bottom flanges of said girders and extending therealong, an open way between said girders, cars below the girders and suspended upon said rails.

13. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising a series of supporting posts, cross girders associated therewith, longitudinal girders mounted above said cross girders spaiming the distance between the cross girders, rails mounted upon the longitudinal girders and extending therealong, and an open way through said longitudinal girders, cross girders and rails, a car below said girders and means for suspending the car upon said rails through said open way.

14. An observation railway for parks, etc. comprising a pair of longitudinal girders, supporting posts at one side thereof, the other side being free from said supporting posts, rails carried by each of said girders and inclosed between them, a continuous open space between said girders, a truck mounted upon said rails a downwardly projecting part connected with said truck and extending through said open space, and a car below the girders and connected with said truck.

v 15. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising a pair of longitudinal girders, supporting posts at one side thereof, rails carried by each of said girders and inclosed between them, a continuous open space between said girders, a truck mounted upon said rails and having a downwardly projecting part extending through said open space, a car below the girders and connected with said truck, a track located above the girders and supported thereby, and a moving platform mounted on said track.

16. An observation railway for parks, etc., comprising suitable longitudinal supporting devices arranged in pairs, cross girders upon which said longitudinal supports are carried, vices, and laterally guiding tracks for the supports for said cross gir ers, a track assocars provided with suitable connections ciated with each pair of supporting devices thereto.

and extending parallel therewith, a connectl JOSEPH B. STRAUSS. ing device, a car suspended from said tracks Witnesses:

at their tops by a connection extending l EDWARD T. W'RAY,

downwardly between the supporting de-i EDNA K. REYNOLDS. 

